Induction

It’s induction weekend in Cooperstown, and I’m as happy as Chris Russo and Jay Jaffe must be miserable.  Why?  Because Harold Baines is going into the Hall of Fame.

Russo is a radio “personality” in the same way Dr. Mengele was a physician.  Along the way, he’s earned the nickname of Mad Dog, which every right-thinking canine should take offense at.  According to a story in today’s Tribune, Tony LaRussa, a big Baines’ backer, wanted to change that to “Clueless” for his anti-Baines’ intransigence.  Amen to that, Tony.

The story also noted that Jaffe found Baines’ selection by the HOF’s Today’s Game Era committee to be “unsettling” for the simple fact that Baines fared poorly in a measurement Jaffe invented.  That would be JAWS, the Jaffe WAR Score System, which averages a player’s WAR—wins above replacement—from his seven-year peak WAR (not be confused with best seven consecutive years of WAR, which probably is confusing to everyone not named Jay Jaffe).  Why seven years, instead of nine, or eight or five?  That’s the thing about oracles.  They never have to explain themselves clearly.

Anyway, the laconic Baines will stand before a podium and address the assembled crowd, oh, for five minutes if he’s feeling talkative.  How nice to know it’ll seem like an eternity in hell for the likes of Mad Dog and sabergibber.